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Photo Gallery: How to Take Photos Underwater

Snorkler, Biscayne National Park, Florida

Photograph by Raul Touzon

Photographer Raul Touzon offers advice on how to make the most of your underwater photography experience.

Get Comfortable Underwater

One of the most important elements of underwater photography is feeling comfortable in the environment. Remember that the photographer becomes a floating platform on which the camera rests. The ability to swim well—and in some instances fast, to catch up with the subject—is a must-have skill.

One of the advantages of shooting while scuba diving rather than snorkeling is that you can spend long periods in deeper water, closer to marine life. To be successful at shooting underwater while scuba diving, you must master flotation and have control of where you are at all times. Having said this, a lot of my most successful images were made at the surface, where the light is abundant and where most of the big guys, like whales and sharks, can be found.—Raul Touzon

Great White, Guadalupe Island, Mexico

Photograph by Raul Touzon

Understand Marine Life

To create any good picture, you must know your subject to be able to capture its essence. This concept becomes paramount when shooting in the underwater realm. What creatures should you approach? Are they dangerous or not? Understanding the behavior of fish will enable you to produce stunning imagery. Study swim patterns and other details. How is the school of fish moving and how can you get near it? What is the position of a shark’s pectoral fins, and is it aggressive or not? How long will it take for the manatee to come up for air again?

Color is lost the deeper you dive (reds, for instance, are the the first to go). Knowing the true colors of sponges and other marine life will help you compose better and more interesting pictures. These days, most of this information can be found on the Internet, where pictures of sea creatures abound.—Raul Touzon

Underwater Photographer, Turks and Caicos Islands

Photograph by Raul Touzon

Choose the Right Gear

When choosing what gear to use, keep in mind that there are two basic—and hugely different—systems: A point-and-shoot camera in a waterproof case and a DSLR (digital single lens reflex) in an underwater housing with external strobes, such as that shown here.

The first system has some advantages, including ease of use (no complex set up) and economy. Point-and-shoots are also fun for taking pictures on the surface, where there’s a lot of light. One of this option’s major disadvantages is the inability of the photographer, in most cases, to direct light, since the strobe in these cameras is integrated into its body. Also, manual control of exposure is difficult to achieve.

Most professional photographers use DSLRs, as we have total and absolute control over the system. With a DSLR it’s possible to control aperture and speed depending on the situation or desired effect, e.g., movement. It’s also possibe to point the strobes where they’re needed. But the system does have some disadvantages in that it can be cumbersome, hard to maintain, and expensive.—Raul Touzon

Yellowtail Snappers, Turks and Caicos Islands

Photograph by Raul Touzon

Be Familiar With Basic Settings

Here are some basic camera settings that will improve your underwater imagery. Remember, in some point-and-shoot systems you might not be able to reach these controls underwater in a fast and efficient manner.

White balance: For most cases put your white balance in daylight mode, especially if you are using flash.

Aperture: Depending on how deep you’re working, most of the time you’ll be shooting between f8 and f16. This will provide you with greater depth of field.

Speed: In the manual setting, it’s the right combination of aperture and speed that will yield the correct exposure. I tend to use speed as a creative tool—if I want my subject to be sharp and motionless I’ll go to a higher shutter speed: 1/125th or 1/250th. Or if I want to convey or capture motion, e.g., fish swimming, a slower shutter speed of 1/15th or lower is the way to go.

Focus: I tend to keep my focus in automatic and in single subject, which allows me to autofocus on the subject. In this mode, as long as I keep the shutter button down, it will hold the focus even if I recompose the scene.—Raul Touzon

Manta Ray, Los Cabos, Baja Californa

Photograph by Raul Touzon

Use Available Light

Flash is not always the solution; it will yield amazing pictures, but keep in mind that it’s not the only option. If you play your cards well, there are incredible images to be made with available light. Getting your exposure correct is very important: If you want to get interesting silhouettes, try to underexpose the frame by at least 1 f-stop. If you want to “freeze” the light rays entering the water, use a shutter speed of 1/250th or higher.—Raul Touzon

Sea Stars, Los Cabos, Baja California

Photograph by Raul Touzon

Complement Available Light With Flash

Using strobes underwater will help you explore all the creative possibilities that abound beneath the waves. The deeper you go, the less light you’ll have and the more important flash becomes. Flash will bring out all the wonderful colors in the fish and reef. It will also allow you to “freeze” or convey the movement of a subject.

Never forget that flash is just another light source, and for it to work in your favor, you must do your best to allow ambient light to do its part. Without allowing available light into the frame, the sense of place is gone. We want to see the blue in the water and the environment these creatures thrive in.

Remember to adjust the power of your strobes based on the subject. When photographing fish that are too close or highly reflective, take your strobes to 1/2 or 1/4 power. Don’t point your units directly at the subject: This illuminates the water between your lens and the creature, creating backscatter.—Raul Touzon

Swimming Pool, Miami, Florida

Photograph by Raul Touzon

Make the Swimming Pool Your Testing Ground

Before you go into the ocean, practice in a swimming pool. It provides a safe, calm, and controlled environment to learn your settings, experiment with new techniques, and make sure that your gear is in good working order. Practice with family members, especially kids, as they often resemble fast and ever-moving fish.

When setting up your gear, pay careful attention to what you’re doing and avoid distractions—cameras do not like water. Having said that, you’re better off with a freshwater leak from the pool than a saltwater one from the ocean. Be sure to lubricate the rubber O-rings in your camera as well.—Raul Touzon

Reef Diver, Turks and Caicos Islands

Photograph by Raul Touzon

Learn and Use the Rules of Composition

Underwater photography is photography, so the same rules and concepts apply. Just because you’re shooting in water doesn’t guarantee you a great image. Good images aren’t shot, they’re created. Learn and practice the rules of composition, including the rule of thirds, frame within a frame, leading lines, and movement—and use those strobes wisely.—Raul Touzon

Yellow Blenny, Culebra Island, Puerto Rico

Photograph by Raul Touzon

Experiment With Macro

I like macro photography because it makes me pay attention to little details and forces me to concentrate on a small patch of the reef rather than a big piece of underwater real estate. To shoot macro photographs, you need special gear, including a macro lens. Your normal lenses are not macro lenses. Also, in most cases a special port is needed for your underwater housing. Strobe placement is different, too; in this case, they need to be very close and aimed directly at the subject. Turn off autofocus and try to focus by moving your body or arms rather than using the focusing mechanism on your lens. The best time for macro photography is at night, when most of the critters are out and about.—Raul Touzon

Sunken Tugboats, British Virgin Islands

Photograph by Raul Touzon

Experiment With Wide Angle

If you want to convey the true majestic nature of the underwater universe, wide angle is the way to go—the wider the better. Wide-angle lenses range from 10mm to 24mm, both as zoom or prime lenses. Always take into consideration the magnifying effect of non-full-frame cameras, on which 24mm is actually almost 40mm—not a good choice for underwater. With wide angles you’re required to get close to your subject, not only to fill the frame but also to make sure your strobes will reach. Aim your lights correctly to avoid backscatter—out and outward is the best approach.

Wide angle is the best way to present the organism in its ecosystem, conveying how it feels to be there swimming with those dolphins or sharks or coming face-to-face with that huge Atlantic goliath grouper.—Raul Touzon

Goliath Grouper, Key Largo, Florida

Photograph by Raul Touzon

Enjoy the Experience

Remember that you don’t dive to take pictures, you dive because you want to enjoy being immersed in an alternate universe. You dive to share and enjoy this wonderful space with its inhabitants. If you make this a priority, good pictures will emerge. “Photography is a by-product of the experience.” Enjoy the experience, and the pictures will come.—Raul Touzon